Jump to content

Small CUV Market and Ford


Recommended Posts

I don't like saying it, but Ford screwed the pooch with the Ecosport - at least in terms of trying to use it in Europe to compete in that segment. The product simply is not good enough to compete in Europe, which echos what several here have said with regard to its potential for the U.S. market.

 

There's a good article at Automotive News about this segment in Europe, which seems to be larger than the U.S.. A couple of excerpts:

 

 

Small SUV sales in Europe’s five largest car markets are forecast to nearly double to 931,000 units by 2018, led by fast-rising demand in France, the UK and Italy, according to IHS Automotive, which also sees the segment growing more than 70 percent to 1.3 million units Europewide by 2020. France was Europe’s No. 1 sales market for subcompact-sized SUVs and crossovers last year and it is expected to extend its lead over the UK between now and 2018 as more Europeans move away from hatchbacks and sedans, matching a trend already underway in the U.S.

 

 

The second excerpt concurs with what many have written here regarding the Ecosport:

 

 

While local production of the vehicle and its powertrain provides a number of benefits, auto executives say the real key is making sure that the final product appeals to local tastes. “It’s important to have the flexibility to tailor products for the European customer,” Nissan Europe Paul Willcox told Automotive News Europe.

Automakers that fail to do this often struggle. One example noted by LMC’s Cox is the Ford EcoSport. “It has not been that successful in Europe probably because it was designed with emerging markets in mind,” he said. The EcoSport was developed in Brazil and is built in India. Through March, Ford sold fewer than 10,000 EcoSports while Renault sold nearly more than five times as many units of the Captur. In a bid to improve sales, Ford showed a redesigned EcoSport at the Geneva auto show in March. The new version no longer has a prominent spare tire mounted on the side-hinged tailgate.

 

This seems to be a lucrative market, at least in Europe, and is growing strongly, which would seem to be a place for Ford to compete. Assuming the Ecosport is a placeholder only, what might Ford's strategy be for this segment?

Edit: I tried to post sales figures to illustrate the market, but the site won't allow me to do so.

Source:

http://europe.autonews.com/article/20150709/ANE/150639995/small-suv-sales-forecast-to-nearly-double-in-europes-top-markets?cciid=email-ane-daily

Edited by Harley Lover
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

Why Ford stumbled with the EcoSport


Ford stumbled with the EcoSport and was forced to make rapid changes to address poor sales. So what went wrong? The simple answer is that Ford didn't get the design right. In response, the revised EcoSport no longer has a rear-mounted spare tire and Ford has made styling, comfort and equipment changes to the interior just a year after the small SUV went on sale.
Ford took immediate action because it was at risk of missing out on a huge boom for small SUVs in Europe, where the segment grew 54 percent last year to more than 760,000 units and analysts at IHS Automotive believe the segment will grow to 1.3 million by 2020.
The segment is doubly valuable to mass-market brands because it is one of the few where they don't have to compete with premium automakers.
The winners have been Renault with the Captur, Opel/Vauxhall with the Mokka, Peugeot with the 2008 and Renault's budget brand, Dacia, with the Duster.
Ford has been a conspicuous loser. In the first five months of this year it sold just 14,518 EcoSports, well behind the Captur's volume of 83,292, according to figures from JATO Dynamics.
The market is heavily skewed toward France, which has benefited French automakers disproportionately, but that hasn't stopped Ford rival General Motors from capitalizing as sales of the Opel/Vauxhall Mokka were up 36 percent to 68,807 through May, JATO's numbers show.
As in other SUV segments, customers have looked beyond the badge to the design, rewarding better-styled models with stronger sales. The original EcoSport sold in Europe included the rear-mounted spare tire because the car was initially aimed at car buyers in countries with tire-shredding roads such as Brazil, where the small SUV was styled. The rear-mounted tire made the India-built vehicle look too rugged to European customers. It reminded me of slightly oddball small SUVs from the past such as the Daihatsu Terios.
Ford initially said the feature couldn't be changed, but it somehow found a way. Customers who order the EcoSport without the feature will get a tire inflation kit.
In addition, the small SUV's rear side-hinged tailgate has also been redesigned for easier opening in tight spaces.
The original EcoSport also may have proved too utilitarian for customers. According to a Ford statement, the redesign includes chassis changes to make the EcoSport's ride and handling more suited for European as well as comfort upgrades such as thicker soundproofing material to reduce cabin noise.
Subcompact SUVs have global appeal as sales are booming in markets as diverse as the U.S, Indonesia, China, India and Europe. Ford has discovered, however, the same car doesn't work for all markets.

 

V2-150639995.jpg

Edited by Biker16
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I still find it interesting that the Captur is considered a crossover. It is a little taller than many of the hatchbacks, but it would struggle to pass as a CUV in the US. It's only marginally taller than the "car" version built on the same platform. It's very much like the Subaru XV vs Impreza and not very much like the Focus Wagon vs Escape/Kuga.

 

That said, the Captur is a nice car and it handled both the back roads of Burgundy and the city streets of Paris with ease.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think most of us could've figured out that it wouldn't do well with the rear spare on there. Same reason it wouldn't do well here. I saw a pair a few weeks ago - the design as a whole was fine aside from that spare tire. The interior looked like it could use improvement as well material wise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I still find it interesting that the Captur is considered a crossover. It is a little taller than many of the hatchbacks, but it would struggle to pass as a CUV in the US. It's only marginally taller than the "car" version built on the same platform. It's very much like the Subaru XV vs Impreza and not very much like the Focus Wagon vs Escape/Kuga.

 

That said, the Captur is a nice car and it handled both the back roads of Burgundy and the city streets of Paris with ease.

 

But that's what European customers want - a higher riding hatchback. And it's also what American consumers want... judging by the smashing debut of Honda HR-V.

 

Ford was actually ahead of the curve with the original Fusion (the high riding Fiesta, not the midsize sedan) but instead of improving the car with better styling, it decided to replace it with Ecosport, which was going in the opposite direction where the market is headed. The B-segment CUV was and still is trending more car like, not faux butch SUV.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

But that's what European customers want - a higher riding hatchback. And it's also what American consumers want... judging by the smashing debut of Honda HR-V.

 

Ford was actually ahead of the curve with the original Fusion (the high riding Fiesta, not the midsize sedan) but instead of improving the car with better styling, it decided to replace it with Ecosport, which was going in the opposite direction where the market is headed. The B-segment CUV was and still is trending more car like, not faux butch SUV.

 

ill admit the Ecosport wasn't a One Ford product, and it's misses highlight how dangerous it can be to not consider all markets when developing a product.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ford's small car strategy is pretty poor in total at a product level, although maybe, at the time, reflected appropriate investment at a business level. Their small car packaging is bottom of the industry at best with many of their product suffering from poor interior room even comparing exterior dimensions.

 

The new Figo/Ka are relatively large in their exterior dimensions for the interior volume they deliver as they sought to re-use a platform. Same with the Fiesta as Ford pushed to stay sub-4 meter for India instead of creating two lengths like most automakers have - one for India, one for ROW - by making low cost changes after the B-pillar.

 

The Ecosport suffers from the same sub-4 meter cramming mentality, which gains 10,000 sales in India but loses probably 100,000 elsewhere around the globe.

 

VW has a better approach with a purpose-built city car platform underpinning the up! and spawning a CUV in India that is sub-4 meters by design instead of shoe-horned into sub-4 meters. Europe shows us that the 167-170 in length CUVs probably outperform the short and more cramped Ecosport. I believe that will be more true in the US.

 

What's the right strategy? Not exactly sure. I don't have all the facts. But if I were Ford, I would think about a true City platform (borrowed or designed) to spawn an up! competitor and a CUV in the sub-4 realm and figuring out how to make them adaptable from India and Brazil to dense cities in Europe and China.

 

Then, Fiesta can have its own platform and models. You can still have a sub-4 hatch, but you have more flexibility in designing the vehicle with style and space. From there, the Fiesta, B-Max and Ecosport can be better targeted at the EU, US and China markets while still service the emerging markets partly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shame Fors is now not aligned with Mazda, both could share the new CX-3, it beats Ecosport hands down.

 

 

And One Ford does not want to see regional variants in this segment, A Focus hatch on stilts (Subaru XV) would work better IMO..

Edited by jpd80
Link to comment
Share on other sites

JPD feels Ford should compete with B-sized SUVs (Trax, HRV, etc) with a "Tall" Focus like the Subaru XV.

 

A tall Focus is a different class (C-Class), it also is essentially what the Escape is.

 

Well, not really. A tall Focus will be a hatchback CUV. Escape is more of a wagon CUV.

 

They are two distinct markets; but both C-segments. Neither will offer what Ford needs in the B-segment CUV market.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Well, not really. A tall Focus will be a hatchback CUV. Escape is more of a wagon CUV.

 

They are two distinct markets; but both C-segments. Neither will offer what Ford needs in the B-segment CUV market.

I would argue that Escape is on the upper limit of Compact internal dimensions where as

a Focus hatch based CUV would be slightly larger than a Subcompact Utility.

 

 

If you look at Trax/Encore the interior capacity veruss Focus Hatch is fairly close,

the Focus hatch having slightly greater width.

 

 

Trax/ Focus HB / Escape / Ecosport

 

Front legroom questionMark.gif 40.8 " / 41.9 " / 43.1 " / 41.0"

Rear legroom questionMark.gif 35.7 " / 33.2 " 36.8 " / 37.6"

Front headroom questionMark.gif 39.6 "/ 38.3 " / 39.9 " / 39.7"

Rear headroom questionMark.gif 38.8 " 37.9 " / 39.0 " / 38.2"

Front hiproom questionMark.gif 51.7 "/ 53.9 " / 54.8 " / 51.5'

Rear hiproom questionMark.gif 50.7 " 52.7 " 52.4 "/ 50.9"

Front shoulder room questionMark.gif 54.1 "/ 55.6 " / 56.0 " / 53.3"

Rear shoulder room questionMark.gif 52.8 " / 53.7 " / 55.3 " / 51.2"

Luggage volume questionMark.gif 18.7 cu.ft./ 23.8 cu.ft./ 34.3 cu.ft. / 12.2 cu ft

Luggage volume (max) questionMark.gif 48.4 cu.ft. / 44.8 cu.ft. / 67.8 cu.ft. /24.8 cu ft

Passenger volume questionMark.gif 92.8 cu.ft. / 91 cu.ft. / 98 cu.ft. / xxxxxx

 

FWYW, I do have an advantage over most here as

I have been in Ecosport, Trax, Focus HB and Kuga.

 

The big difference for me was that Ecosport has a mere12.2 cu ft of luggage space,

and if you take the length of the tire off the Ecosports dimension, it is much shorter than Trax

while the Focus hatch is only 4: longer than Trax but still shorter than Escape.

 

Trax/ Focus HB / Escape / Ecosport

 

 

Exterior length 167.2 " / 171.6 " / 178.1 " / 167.1" (incl tire)

Exterior body width 69.9 " / 71.8 " / 72.4 " / 69.5"

Exterior height 65.9 " / 57.7 " / 66.3 " / 67.2"

 

Front track 60.6 " / 61.2 " / 61.5 " / 59.8"

Rear track 60.6 "/ 60.4 " / 61.6 " / 59.7"

Turning radius 18.3 ' / 18.0 ' . 19.4 ' / 17.25'

Edited by jpd80
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The bottom line is C-segment CUV market is not any different than the C-segment car market... Some people will prefer a hatchback size CUV, some people will prefer a wagon size CUV. Ford would be foolish to ignore this market trend development, especially since Ford is a major player in Europe where this segment divergence is already very far down the road.

 

C-segment "hatchback" CUV: VW Tiguan, Opel Antara, Nissan Qashqai, Renault Kadjar, Mitsubishi ASX (Outlander Sport), Peugeot 4008, Citroen C4 Aircross, Subaru XV, Jeep Compass, Hyundai iX35 (Tucson), Kia Sportage, Skoda Yeti, Ford ????

 

C-segment "wagon" CUV: Chevy Capitva7, Nissan X-Trial (Rouge), Renault Koleos, Mitsubishi Outlander, Subaru Forester, Jeep Cherokee, Honda CR-V, Toyota Rav4, Ford Kuga

Link to comment
Share on other sites

lets think of the EcoSport like We think of the EDGE, it comes in two lengths why not the Ecosport?

 

you have a longer version for EU and NA and a sub 4 meter version for India.

 

Ford lists Ecosport in India as under 4 meter (3,999mm) but the rest of the world, it is longer than 4 meters (4,245mm everywhere else). I wonder if the the India number includes the spare tire?

 

I'm sure Ford will do exactly what you are saying next time but without playing games with the spare tire. We already seen it with the new Figo Aspire sedan, which is identical to Ka+ sedan in Brazil (4,254mm) except it has a much shorter trunk to get the overall length under 4 meter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

lets think of the EcoSport like We think of the EDGE, it comes in two lengths why not the Ecosport?

 

you have a longer version for EU and NA and a sub 4 meter version for India.

That might be an option. The problem I can see there though is with the Fiesta platform in itself. Can that platform be stretched out any further or would it be better off on the C platform with the Focus/C-Max/Escape? Should that happen, wouldn't that overlap with the Escape too much?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Isn't the new B platform supposed to be based on the new C?

 

Would an "XV" cost Ford any less to make than an Escape?

Or conversely, would an "XV" cost that much more than a Focus hatch?

 

Recent reports for (hyundai?) engineer say that a Utility costs about $1500 more to make than a car.

What if it's just a car jacked up that uses Escape suspension that's already developed?

 

Either way, that variation is a development within the product envelope and not such a reach

in terms of engineering or parts sourcing - in contrast, I think you'd struggle to get Ecosport sales

but glad to be proven wrong..;)

Edited by jpd80
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd like to know what Ford's assessment is regarding the failure of the Ecosport in the European marketplace.

 

Is it because of "refinement"? By refinement, would that be NVH, interior finishes (& fit), or... ?

Is it because of styling?

Is the packaging subpar?

Is it because of... ?

 

My opinion only, the styling is horrible, specifically the front end. Just not attractive, particularly versus some of the competition. Ford seem to sometimes bring a styling sledge hammer to a product when a styling scalpel would have been the better choice.

Edited by Harley Lover
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...